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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: spell · lash · wound · bark · bound · wax · game · leaves

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. spell — letters
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. game — a match
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bound — obliged
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. wax — to grow
  15. spell — a short time
  16. wound — an injury
  17. spell — magic
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. game — wild animals
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. bound — certain
  24. leaves — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com